A PORTLAND business owner is calling out for the amenity rooms on Henty Street to be open longer, after someone defecated near the back door of his store.

The Glenelg Shire operated toilet black is locked up as early 7pm in winter – leaving shoppers, and users of the nearby VLine bus stop and taxi rank without public facilities.

The human faeces were discovered earlier this week in an alley way that connects to the back doors of local businesses on Percy Street, including Smith’s Showcase Jewellers.

The store’s owner, Shaun Smith, said it was discovered last Saturday morning and he reviewed security footage to see it happened Friday night.

Mr Smith said the person seemed to be looking to see if the coast was clear and then did his business while facing the alleyway opening.

“To start with, I thought this person might be a homeless person or somebody a bit feral, but you can tell he wasn't, the way he was concerned about cars going past,” he said.

“I feel for that fella.

“Probably at night, the most popular place without a doubt is the taxi rank and bus stop, and there's a toilet across the road, but we were informed that they shut around 9pm.

“It's common for people to use the side alley … they don't have an option.

“I've been in this place for at least 10 years, and I've always had cameras. In the start, nobody really walked behind the shop, but it's becoming more and more common.

“There are people on that bus that aren't from Portland, they don't know where the toilets are to start with. At midnight who wants to walk around the streets to try and find a public toilet?

“It's against the law to urinate in the street, but what options do they have?”

A Glenelg Shire Council spokesmen said the toilet block was only open from 7am to 9pm in summer, “but over winter it might be closed closer to 7pm”.  The restricted hours were introduced following some criminal and public order issues centring around the facility.

“It is open longer hours during the summer months when more people are out and about and shorter hours during the winter,” they said.

“Council seeks to provide a balance between the service the facility provides and to mitigate vandalism and anti-social behaviour, particularly over the nighttime period.

“A new facility is currently being designed to improve overall safety, amenity and access for the community. The opening hours, cleaning and ongoing operation of the new facility will be re-assessed after it is operational.”